Tuesday, August 21, 2007

Winnings...and a skirt

Now one of the best little pick-me-ups I received towards the end of our 8 week work marathon, was what you see below. These, my friends, are the spoils from the Loopy Ewe's First Anniversary Contest! I'm still shocked I actually won. I tend not to enter contests for the sake of winning because honestly, my track record with contests (or any competitive event for that matter) isn't that great. I enter them more to show support for the host and let them know that I am indeed out there as I tend to be a little quite in the blog-0-sphere. However, in this case, I have to assume my winning was some sort of Loopy Karmic Pull.

As always Sheri outdid herself and the generosity in the prizes was clearly off the charts! I couldn't believe what I pulled out of that box! Not only were the colors beautiful, but they were all from indie dyers who I hadn't been exposed to yet. So, given the beauty of these yarns, I thought they each deserved a little close up of their own.

First up, is from Yarn Love and the colorway is Fondley (It looks like Sheri is currently out of Yarn Love yarn so I linked directly to the Yarn Love site). This is 495 yards of 75% superwash 25% nylon. The greens and the yellows are simply gorgeous.

Next, is from Gypsy Knits in the Circus colorway. Now, I tend not to be drawn to colorways named 'circus' because well, they usually look like a circus ;-) However, the colors here are fabulous, soft and complementary. I would even say more spring bouquet than circus. This hank is 360 yards of BLF superwash.

Finally, I bring you Apple Laine's English Garden. The colors in these hanks are luxurious, deep and rich. Each hank is ~190 yards of a 50% wool, 20% mohair, 20% silk, 10% nylon yarn.

So, thank you Sheri! And congratulations on an amazing first year from one loopy girl to another!

Now, I know that most of you out there already know about the Loopy Ewe, but for those of you who haven't or haven't yet placed your first order, Sheri is a phenomenal business woman. She values customer service and goes above and beyond. I've talked about some of the perks before here, but there are even more now. If you are a sock knitter or lace knitter, check out her shop, you will be amazed!

Finally, I have a finished object of sorts to share. I mentioned last week that I was going to have trouble fitting into my regular work clothes again after too much time behind my desk the last couple months. Well, to solve this dilemma as well as try to introduce a little more femininity into my wardrobe (without having to actually go shopping - and yes, I really don't enjoy shopping, I know! gasp!), I present my latest endeavor: skirts!

I made this simple draw string, A-line skirt using the formula and template drafting in Sew What! Skirts. I used about a yard and a 1/4 of a cotton print (Rufina by Clothworks) that I picked up at Rosie's on sale. With the 1/4 inch grosgrain ribbon I used as my tie, the whole skirt came to about $6. It actually came out a little big, so the one I made last night I was able to take in a bit for a slightly more fitted look. However, that FO will have to wait for another day!

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

So cute! -I almost said "sew" cute, but that would have been too corny. ;) I'm looking forward to sewing skirts of my own. Seeing as that's my usual uniform anyway!

Kara said...

Lucky girl for getting all that fabulous yarn. And that skirt...so fab! It is like a real skirt that you could buy and everything.

Mouse said...

Congrats on winning!
I love your skirt.. I've been drooling over the little ($160..ugh.) A-line skirts in Anthropologie for fall and have decided I need to make my own. I'm going to have to order that book.. you did a wonderful job!

mle said...

Wow, you are lucky!!
and the skirt is beautiful! good job!

Anonymous said...

Your skirt turned out fantastic!!

Nasus said...

Great job on your skirt!

Sheri at The Loopy Ewe said...

Thanks for your very nice post! I was so happy to pull your name, as us Loopy girls need to stick together. And I love your skirt!

Anonymous said...

Lucky Ewe!

All I got yesterday was a wasp sting.

That skirt is cute. I like the fabric you chose. And, that jacket is perfect for it. Very cute.

Lolly said...

Lucky you! those are some beautiful yarns!

And your skirt (and whole outfit!) are great :)

Anonymous said...

what A GREAT OUTIFT! I love the colors together and the pattern on you home made skirt. SALE Fabric YUM!

Octopus Knits said...

What a great prize! I especially love the "Yarn Love" colorway you received -- very pretty! Great skirt, too!

Anonymous said...

I just love looking at handpainted sock yarns. It's like looking at flowers. Nice skirt too, fantastic blue and green combo.